


Dreams and Valor (Gotta Catch 'Em All)

by stand_by_me



Category: Final Fantasy VII
Genre: M/M, Modern AU, Pokemon GO - Freeform, Pokemon Go AU, Rom-Com style plot, Zack in cosplay, because I'm a horrible person
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-21
Updated: 2016-07-21
Packaged: 2018-07-25 20:23:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,687
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7546455
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stand_by_me/pseuds/stand_by_me
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Cloud moves to a new town just before a certain Pokémon game comes out. Shenanigans ensue.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Dreams and Valor (Gotta Catch 'Em All)

**Author's Note:**

> *slam dunks myself into the trash* this story's a mess, but I spent so much time trying to get it together that not posting it would just be sad. Turns out having a full-time job and a part-time job makes finding any time to write pretty difficult.

The last box sat on the kitchen table, a sheet of his mom’s stationery taped to the side.  Cloud rubbed his eyes and yawned before reading it.  _Please finish unpacking.  At work until six.  Love you, Mom._

It wasn’t much to ask – being the last box, it didn’t have anything in it more important than old yearbooks – but there was still a note of finality to it that Cloud didn’t like.  If he finished the job, they’d go from “moving” to “moved,” and even though they’d already been in New Midgar for two weeks, he wasn’t ready.

Cloud made some coffee (they didn’t have any creamer yet, so he put an unholy amount of sugar in it) and sat down at the table, taking out his phone.  His old friends were six time zones away, already talking about going out for the evening.

 _Morning, guys,_ he typed.  _Or evening, I guess._

Tifa was the first to respond, as usual.  _I’m so sorry, we can’t really talk right now!_

 _It’s go time!_ Wedge sent.  _Pokémon Go time, to be specific.  Have you gotten the game yet?_

Cloud suddenly felt a little more awake.   _Wait, today’s launch day?_

 _Where the hell have you been?_  Biggs said in response.  _Everyone’s been talking about it nonstop!_

 _I’ve been unpacking my life,_ Cloud sent back.  _It takes some time, you know._

 _No need to sass us, Strife,_ Tifa said.  _Honestly, you’ve got it good there.  A big city with big parks to boot…perfect hunting grounds.  There’s nothing in Nibelheim but mountains.  And a ton of Rattatas._

 _Sure, I’m in a good place to catch Pokémon, but I don’t have anyone to go with,_ Cloud said.  _It’s kind of lame to go alone…_

 _Have you even left your apartment?_ she asked, and Cloud’s lack of response was very telling.  Biggs and Wedge were quick to chime in with texts of _dude_ and _seriously_ , which didn’t help him feel any better about his situation.

The truth of the matter was pretty pathetic – Cloud just didn’t know how to make friends.  He didn’t have to back home, with it being such a small town.  There were more buildings on his street now than in the entire village of Nibelheim, and he didn’t have any friends to show him around…

 _Hey, you should go out and play too,_ Tifa suggested after a minute.  _I bet everyone is out today, you could make some new friends._

And before he could make up an excuse, she sent him something else: _No ifs, ands, or buts!  Go!  Catch ‘em all!  Send pictures!_

 _God, you’re such a mom friend,_ Biggs said.

Cloud could practically hear her scoffing and wow, she was right, he really needed to get a life.  _Someone has to be_ , Tifa sent after a minute.  _Well, we’re off.  Talk to you later, Cloud~_

A nudge on his knee drew Cloud’s attention downwards.  “Silly cat,” he said, scratching behind Puppy’s ears.  _At least someone doesn’t mind me being such a homebody.  Tifa’s right, though…I’m not gonna meet people just sitting here._

Cloud didn’t see the benefit of emptying that last box at this point, so he just brought it to his room and shoved it in the closet.  His mom wouldn’t notice, not right away, at least.  Pup the cat followed, sticking a paw into the crack between the cardboard lid and flipping it open.

“Nope, nope, nope,” he said, lifting the cat out of the closet and onto the bed.  “Stay here.”  Pup jumped down but thankfully ignored the closet in favor of licking a plastic bag by the door.

The closet was a mess.  Pants on shirt hangers, shirts on the floor, in a way that vexed his mom but reminded Cloud of his old house.  The problem was that he didn’t have many clean clothes to choose from.  Just thinking about the afternoon’s forecasted temperature made Cloud sweat, so he picked a thin grey t-shirt off the floor and pulled it over his head.  Wrinkly.

 _Well, it’ll straighten itself out eventually.  Now for some pants…_ Cloud only had a few pairs of shorts, with Nibelheim’s cold climate making them mostly unnecessary, and he’d already worn most of them more than once.  The only pair that smelled at all clean was a light blue that was rather tight around the hips – a reminder of when he and Tifa tried dating a few years ago, before he filled out and before they both realized they played for the other team, so to speak.

The almost-neon of the shorts looked decent with the shirt, and that was good enough for Cloud.  He gave his hair a quick comb, brushed his teeth, and was halfway through lacing his sneakers before realizing he should probably get the game started _before_ leaving the apartment.

The download was quick, the initial load even quicker – surprising for something Cloud had assumed would be slow and clunky.  The Professor Oak knockoff gave him the talk about how Pokémon exist and he was brought to an avatar customization page.  Cloud briefly entertained the idea of picking the girly style, before deciding that would probably not make a great first impression.

 _Maybe I’m putting too much thought into this.  It’s just a game – shit, it crashed!_ Cloud reopened the app and got exactly what he was expecting the first time – server issues.

He figured now would be as good a time as any to actually unpack that box, so he trudged back to his room and dragged it out of the closet, catching Pup’s attention again in the process.

“Meow meow?” Pup asked, pawing at the old books inside.

“Meow.  Come ‘ere,” Cloud answered, picking up the cat and holding it like a baby.  “You’re real nosy, you know that?”

“Meow.”

“This is a punishment hug.  Don’t get all happy about it.”

Pup purred in defiance, and Cloud let him go.  _Well, at least he likes the new place.  Could be a lot worse._

Their apartment had next-to-no storage, so Cloud just stuffed the yearbooks and the scrapbooks and the old photographs in whatever nooks and crannies he could find.  A drawer in his dresser, a bookshelf in the living room, the bathroom closet.  It worked out.

Cloud plopped on the couch and tried opening the game again.  It actually worked, and he was brought back to the avatar customization screen.  He swiped through the options, frustrated.  _Why do none of these colors match…?  I just want to be color-coordinated, damn it._ He ended up picking the red hoodie and the closest-matching accessories possible, confirmed his decision, and was finally able to get started.

Cloud picked Squirtle as his starter (the little turtle had always been his favorite), and then it was time to pick a username.  He tried his usual: _CloudStrife97._ Taken.  _1stClassHero._ Taken as well.  _PuppyTheCat._ That one was gone, too.  H

 _Okay…that’s all my usual stuff taken._  Cloud started trying more ridiculous names.  _Nintendont._ Well, he wasn’t really expecting that one to be available in the first place.  _IiiiitsJohnny._ Taken, as well as every variation of that within the character limit.  Exasperated, he tried _StrifuWaifu._ Shit.  It went through.

 _Great, so now everyone’s gonna see me as StrifuWaifu.  Whatever, I probably won’t be able to claim any gyms in this town anyway…_ Cloud figured his friends back home might get a kick out of it though, so he took a screenshot of his map and sent it to them.  _And I gotta remember, I need to make friends more than I need to play the game._

It wasn’t even ten seconds before he got a response, but it wasn’t about his username.  _What the hell??  You live right on top of a Pokéstop!  Lucky bastard._

_What’s a Pokéstop?_

Biggs sent a string of angry emojis, much to Cloud’s exasperation, but Wedge actually explained.  _Basically, you get infinite free stuff if you tap on it and spin the wheel._

 _Oh, that’s cool._   Cloud closed the chat and went back to the game.  He tapped on the blue circle thing and spun the picture, getting three Pokéballs for his trouble.  _Nice._

After a small panic, Cloud found his wallet and keys in the fridge.  Which were there because…he didn’t know why, and it didn’t really matter. The urge to just stare at his phone and blindly walk downstairs was overwhelming, but Cloud was smarter than that.  He didn’t know his way around town _at all_ , and that was just asking for a disaster.  _It’s a good thing this game is basically a GPS._

It was overcast, but the glare was blinding.  Cloud blinked until his eyes were used to the light, and set off.

 

\---------------------------------

 

Two Pidgeys were right in front of the next building, and Cloud caught them both with ease.  He looked around… _everyone’s staring at their phones.  But they’d be doing that even if they weren’t playing…_ No one struck up a conversation, so he kept going.  And then berated himself for it.  _No one’s gonna just approach me, I have to be the one to do it…if I don’t, I’m just gonna be a lonely loser.  Forever._

A few Pokéstops, six Weedles, and one Eevee ( _hell yeah_ ) later, something caught his attention.  A kid standing on the corner, wearing basketball shorts and a Meowth hoodie, pulled low over his forehead to obscure most of his face.  _Damn, he can’t be more than eight or nine.  Alone in a big city…that hoodie can’t be comfortable…I should check up on him._

“Hey, kid…are you alone?”

He shook his head, Meowth’s ears flopping around.  “No…I’m alright,” he said softly.

“Who’s with you?” Cloud asked.

“My brother and his girlfriend are going out as Team Rocket today,” the kid said.  “They thought it would be fun for me…”

“And they made you wear that hoodie in this heat?” Cloud asked, suddenly feeling rather protective of this kid.  “Where are they?”

“They didn’t make me wear it…I wanted to,” the kid said.  “And they’re not far.  Another one of his friends is cosplaying Ash today, and they went to look for him.”

“Do you mind if I wait with you until they come back?”

“Not at all,” the kid answered.  “I’m Vivi, by the way.”

“Vivi…that’s a nice name,” he said.  “I’m Cloud.”  _Nice going.  Your first friend isn’t even close to your own age._

“Cloud…?  Where do you live?  My brother knows pretty much everyone in this part of town, and he’s never mentioned you,” Vivi said, adjusting his hood with both hands.

“I, uh…just moved here a couple weeks ago,” Cloud answered honestly.  “Haven’t been out much.”

“Oh…he could probably show you around town,” Vivi said.  “If you want.”

“Yeah, maybe catch some Pokémon too?” Cloud said, happy when Vivi laughed a little bit. _Getting shown around town is definitely a good thing.  Progress._

A girl across the street gasped loudly, and it caught their attention.  “There’s a Vulpix, guys, there’s a _Vulpix!_ ” the girl said, holding her phone out in front of her like it was the light of God.

“Catch it, Cloud!” Vivi said, leaning over to look at his screen.  “It’s right there, go for it!”

He hesitated.  _Isn’t it kind of rude to just take someone else’s Pokémon?_ The girl yelled and shook her fist.  “Dang it, it glitched out on me!”

The Vulpix was still sitting right there, right next to Cloud’s avatar.  He tapped on it and tossed the first Pokéball.  Missed.  A second.  That one caught…but the damn thing jumped out again.

“You can do it!” Vivi said, hopping up and down and holding onto his hood.  “One more!”

Cloud tried holding down on the screen before throwing it, and it helped a bit.  Two more tries and the Vulpix was his.  “Yes!  Yes!” he shouted, punching the air, no stranger to the satisfaction of catching a good Pokémon.

“Hey, you caught it!” the girl across the street said.  “Oh – Vivi, is that you?  Are you feeling any better?”

“Yeah,” Vivi said.  “I’m okay.”

“That’s good to hear,” she said warmly.  “Well, I gotta go!  See you later!”

Cloud watched her go back the way she came, wondering again why Vivi wanted to wear the hood…of course, there was something going on he couldn’t see.  There usually was.  He could hit himself for judging the situation with so little thought.

It wasn’t long after that a guy who was pretty obviously Vivi’s brother ran around the other corner, laughing and hollering.  He had the James look close to perfect – the only major differences were that he had cut the sleeves off his Team Rocket shirt and that he had skipped the wig ( _although_ , Cloud thought, _he does have close to the same haircut_ ).

“We couldn’t…find him,” he said, panting, “but we did see…a Vulpix!...near here.”

“I caught it,” Cloud said, hands in his pockets.  “You’re Vivi’s brother?”

“This is Cloud,” Vivi said, looking up at not-James.  “He’s been hanging out here with me for the past few minutes.”

“Cloud, huh?” the guy said, still trying to catch his breath.  “Thanks…for watching my brother.  I’m Zidane.”

“Where’s Garnet?” Vivi asked.  “Wasn’t she with you?”

“I’m coming!” a girl, presumably Garnet, shouted from across the street.  “Just…phew…you could run a little slower, maybe.”

“And miss all the good Pokémon?” Zidane scoffed.  “Sorry babe, but a Vulpix is worth leaving you behind.”

“Why am I dating you,” she deadpanned, and Cloud couldn’t stop himself from laughing.  _I mean…based on first impressions, I get where she’s coming from._

“Um…Zidane…I’m getting kind of hot under here.  Can I go home?” Vivi asked, adjusting the hood again.

“Yeah, for sure!” Zidane said, looking between everyone in the group.  “Uh…well…”

“I’ll take him home,” Garnet said, stretching her arms.  “Do you want to go out again once you’ve cooled off?”

“That would be nice,” Vivi said.  “See you later, Cloud!”

The two waved and walked off in a different direction, and Zidane sized him up.  “You’re new around here, aren’t you?”

“That easy to tell, huh?”

“Nah, you don’t look _that_ out of place,” Zidane said.  “I have a big social circle is all.  I could show you around town if you wanted?  Catch some Pokémon on the way.”

“Thanks, I’d really appreciate it,” Cloud said.  “I have a question, though…I know it’s probably not my business, but why’s Vivi wearing that big hoodie in this heat?”

Zidane sighed.  “I know it probably seems really shitty of us to have him do that, but it was the only way to get him to come outside – he just finished chemo, and he’s really embarrassed that his hair hasn’t started growing back yet.”

 _That’s heavy._ “Chemo?  Is he alright?”

“Yeah, the cancer’s in remission,” Zidane answered.  “But Vivi’s got a pretty deep understanding for such a young kid – he knows it could always…come back, and it’s kind of depressing him.”

Cloud nodded, understanding.  _I had you pegged all wrong…you seem like a pretty cool guy, actually._ “Thought this would cheer him up?”

“Yeah,” Zidane said, stretching his arms behind his head.  “Well, I kind of have somewhere to be, but you could tag along.  Get a feel for the city.”

“You’re looking for the guy cosplaying Ash,” Cloud said.

“Right on the money, new dude.  He said he’d be hanging out by the river, which is pretty much a straight shot west from here.  Let’s go.”

Zidane actually turned out to be a fairly decent tour guide, even if he described every landmark in terms of how it related to _his_ life and not…like…in a general way.  There was an alleyway on the right where he took girls to make out (“Not anymore though,” he added, “cause Garnet’s not really a fan of alleys and I don’t cheat”).  Not far from the alley was a tiny bar where some of his friends started a theater troupe – Tantalus, they called themselves.  Most of them were also in the drama club at the nearby high school (“You going into junior year?  Me too!” Zidane said, clapping him on the back).

There was a rather sketchy-looking apartment building where his friend Blank lived, a restaurant whose owner donated some money to help with Vivi’s treatment, and a completely abandoned building to the left of the next intersection – they caught a Gastly each there.

Opera music came out of nowhere, and Zidane took his phone out, cursing under his breath.  “Shit, that’s my uncle,” he said.  “I gotta go – he’ll be real mad if I don’t make it back quick.”

“Well, it was nice meeting you,” Cloud said, becoming hyperaware of the fact that he had no clue where he was relative to his apartment.  _I should’ve been paying attention to where we were going…_

“Nice meeting you too,” Zidane said.  “Okay, Zack hasn’t sent me anything new, so he should still be by the river.  It’s three more blocks that way – tell him I can’t do it today, please?”

“Who’s Zack?”

“Oh, he’s the guy we were looking for.  Can’t miss him.  Tall, energetic, thinks he’s charming but he really isn’t.”  His phone rang again.  “Shit, I seriously gotta go.  See ya!”

Cloud waved as he ran off, then checked his own notifications.  A few screenshots of the game from his old friends, and one text from his mother: _Where are you?  I called the apartment and you didn’t pick up._

 _I’m gonna be the the best there ever was, Mom,_ he sent back, smirking.  _Gotta catch ‘em all._

A few seconds passed.  _What are you talking about?_

Cloud rolled his eyes.  _I’m out playing Pokémon._

_Oh…well, have fun.  And be safe.  If you meet any new friends, invite them over for dinner._

_Will do, Mom._ Cloud caught a Spearow that was sitting on a parked car and headed for the river.  He passed a few Pokéstops along the way and got to level 3 with a few more Pidgeys and a Magmar.

The riverside seemed to be half-park, half-harbor, and it was absolutely packed with people playing the game.  Cloud felt overwhelmed.  Sure, he could ask pretty much anyone for directions home, but it was a Zack in particular that he needed to find.

Cloud opened the game to blend in and made his way into the crowd.  Just his luck to be sent on a wild goose chase...he got himself turned around a couple of times, trying to spot a tall guy in Ash cosplay.

There was a loud thud, and Cloud found himself on the ground, disoriented.  He looked up and straight into the most gorgeous pair of eyes he’d ever seen – warm indigo, looking confused and…concerned?  _Oh yeah, I just got knocked over._

The boy belonging to that pair of eyes held out a hand to pull him up, and Cloud realized who he was looking at.  “You’re…Zack, right?”

“My god, you’re gorgeous,” probably-Zack said, and Cloud felt heat creep into his cheeks.  “Wait, what did you say?”

“I asked if you were Zack?”  _I did ask that, right?_

“Zack Fair?  Oh.  Yeah, that’s me,” he said, still looking at Cloud like he was the greatest thing since Gyrados.  “…Maybe I hit my head when we bumped into each other, but I don’t think we’ve met.”

“We haven’t,” Cloud said.  “…Zidane…he said he couldn’t make it.”

“Zidane?  Aw, damn!” Zack said, slouching in disappointment.  “I look kind of ridiculous dressed like this without him and Garnet here, too, don’t I?”

 _You’d look ridiculous anyway…but a hot kind of ridiculous.  It suits you.  I hope I’m not saying this out loud._ “Yeah…Garnet took Vivi home, and Zidane got a call and had to run.”

“Hold on a sec.  How do you know them?” Zack asked, taking off his hat to fluff his hair.  “I mean, Zidane knows everybody, but I usually get around too, you know?”

“I just moved here,” Cloud said.  “So…yeah, I haven’t really met anyone yet.”

“Well, today’s my lucky day!” Zack said, winking.  “Oops – I mean, today’s _your_ lucky day.  I can take you around.  I didn’t quite catch your name?”

“Cloud.”

“Well… _Cloud_ …you went through all that trouble for me, so I gotta repay you somehow,” Zack said, and he was definitely flexing his arms on purpose.  “How about lunch?  It’s on me.”

Maybe going on a date with a handsome stranger wasn’t the best idea.  “You really don’t have to, I—”

“No, I insist!” Zack said.  “My phone’s about to die, anyway…can’t play Pokémon with no juice, am I right?”

Cloud laughed at that.  “Alright, lunch it is.  But I have no idea where a good place to eat would be…”

“Well, what kind of food do you like?” Zack asked.  “There’s this really nice café over in the business district…I might be able to get a discount with the owner.”

“That works,” Cloud said.  _Okay, I came here to make friends and now I’m going on a date.  Probably.  This is probably a date._

Zack turned out to be a much worse tour guide than Zidane.  His walking speed was very close to a shorter man’s run, and Cloud found himself having to almost jog in order to keep up.  But he was enthusiastic, and cheerful, and already acting more like a close friend than someone he’d just met – he kind of reminded Cloud of a puppy, now that he thought about it.  _A really, really cute puppy._

“Yeah, and this is the main high school,” Zack said, gesturing towards an entire block.  “You’re still in school, right?” he added, sounding a little panicky.  _Did he think I was older?  That’s a first._

“Going into junior year,” Cloud confirmed.

“Oh, hey, me too!” Zack said, smiling and sounding relieved.  “I guess we might have some classes together then, huh?”

“Maybe…” 

“You know, Zidane’s been trying to get me to join his theater thing all summer.  They’re doing a parody of _Wicked_ in the fall, but it’s not really my style.”

“Not your style, eh?” _Well, there’s the Nibelheim accent coming out._

“I’m a horrible actor, country boy,” Zack said with another wink that most definitely came off as flirtatious.  “Monkey-boy says I’m a huge ham, though…”

“I thought that clubs might be more organized here,” Cloud said.  “Back home, we didn’t even have a theater club…is Zidane really the guy in charge?”

Zack shook his head, letting the wind fix his hat hair a bit.  “No, the drama coach is one of my older brother’s friends.  And he’d definitely veto _anything_ involving me, which is another reason why I keep turning Zidane down.”

“Does he not like you or something?”

“Apparently I’m a ‘distraction’ and a ‘nuisance’ and have ‘no respect for the classics,’” Zack said with a shrug.  “Honestly, he’s right.”

Cloud let out an actual snort at that, and his new friend nodded in approval.  “I think I get where your brother’s friend is coming from.”

Zack put his hands on his heart in mock offense.  “You wound me, Cloud,” he said.  “We’ve known each other for what, half an hour?  And you’re already insulting me…”

“That’s just what I do with people I like,” Cloud said, deciding to return some of Zack’s not-so-subtle flirting.  He smirked when the other boy’s cheeks turned a little pink.  _There we go._

“Oh, so you _like_ me?” Zack asked, picking up the ball remarkably fast.

“You know, the same way I like dogs.  Or a semi-rare Pokémon.”  _Heh heh._

“I’ve been told I pull off the puppy look pretty well.”

Cloud couldn’t help but agree with that, and he felt like Zack knew it.  “So where’s this restaurant?  I’m hungry.”

Zack took a look around and grimaced.  “We, uh…we passed it up.”

“You missed it.”

“…I know.”

“You _live_ here.”

“I was kind of caught up in the moment, okay?!”

Cloud laughed.  “You’re easily distracted.”

“I’m sorry?” Zack said, sounding exactly like Cloud did every time someone made a pun with his name or talked about his chocobo hair.

“Does that bother you…?”

“It’s not your fault,” Zack said.  “It’s just…my aunt chewed me out this morning for it.  ‘You’re gonna have to learn to focus to succeed in the adult world’ and all that.  She doesn’t get that I literally _cannot help it_.  Or that most of the time, it’s not even a big deal.”

Cloud wasn’t sure if he was supposed to say anything at this point, so he just looked at Zack (mostly his excellent shoulders) and waited for him to continue.

“I’m sorry, it’s probably really weird for me to vent at you like this, but I feel like we really click, you know?” Zack said, already losing his train of thought.  “Anyway…yeah, the short attention span thing is a legit issue.  AD/HD and dyslexia to boot.  So I didn’t really appreciate her treating it like I just needed to ‘try a little harder.’”

“That’s totally understandable,” Cloud said.  “It’s…not really the same thing, but I used to have really bad anxiety…it’s hard to explain to some people what you’re going through if they just don’t _want_ to get it, you know?”

“You put it in words,” Zack said in wonder.  “Used to have it?”

“Well, I got better.  The usual stuff.  Asking for help, meds, therapy…self-discovery.  Anxiety is a lot more manageable once you understand yourself,” Cloud said.  _What you need to take care of yourself, who you are, what you want out of life.  Still don’t know the last one, though._

“Yeah, there’s not a ton I can do for my own issues except…I don’t know, practice, and that gets kind of infuriating,” Zack said.  “My parents refused to put me on meds – they thought it would do more harm than good.  Part of the reason my aunt gives me so much shit, cause I’m ‘not helping myself’ or whatever.  And since it went against what the schools wanted…let’s just say they weren’t about to do us any favors.”

“That’s pretty brave of them, though,” Cloud said.  “And you…”  _I couldn’t even keep going on my own._

“Hey, I think I know what you’re thinking, and it’s not cool,” Zack said, turning to face him in the middle of the sidewalk.  “You asked for help…that takes a lot of guts.”

His stare was a little intense, so Cloud did what any slightly-uncomfortable Pokémon trainer would do and checked the map.  “Hey, there are like, four Eevees on this street.”

Zack stepped back a bit and checked his own phone.  “I only have two percent on my battery…you gotta catch ‘em all, Cloud!  Go!  Go!”

It was with a great deal of laughter and quite a few cheers from passersby that Cloud caught all four of the Eevees (two of which were had pretty high CP), and only another few minutes before they reached the restaurant.

The interior looked much like that of any regular café, large windows and clean walls giving off an open vibe.  Zack walked up to the counter and tapped on the surface, catching the host’s attention, a guy with a baseball cap pulled low over his eyes.

“Heeey, Kunsel!” he said, chipper as ever.

“Zack!  How’re you doin’?” Kunsel said, holding out his fist for Zack to bump.  “You here alone?”

“Nah, I brought a new friend,” Zack answered.  “A cute one, too,” he added under his breath, but not so quiet that Cloud couldn’t hear it.  _Man, he’s laying it on thick._

“Where’s the pretty lady?” Kunsel asked.

 _Why does this always happen to me…_ “Not a lady,” Cloud said.

“Oh!  I’m sorry, dude,” Kunsel said, lifting up the lid of the baseball cap to reveal a pair of sunglasses.  “Can’t really see you, you know…” _Oh._

“Kunsel, my man, my main man, can you get us hooked up with a table right away?” Zack asked.  “My poor phone’s on its deathbed and the Pokémon are out there waiting.”

Kunsel nodded and grabbed two menus with one arm and a walking stick with the other.  “This way, gents.”  He led them around the back, toward a table nestled between the outside wall and the kitchens.  “Not the most, ahem, private table here, but it’s got an outlet, so count your blessings.”

“Hey, is your lovely girlfriend on the clock right now?” Zack asked.

“Yeah, actually,” Kunsel said.  “And you’re in her area, too, so she’ll be over soon.  Enjoy the food!”

“Bye!” Zack said, sitting down as Cloud did the same.

“You’re flirting with me,” Cloud said after a moment, and he didn’t bother phrasing it as a question.

“Is it working?” Zack asked lowly, raising his eyebrows and grinning, and damn, even with the ridiculous Pokémon getup and the overconfidence, Cloud was feeling it.

“Hmm…results are pending,” he said after a moment, and Zack laughed.  _The forecast looks good, though._

A redheaded waitress came up to their table, and Zack looked up.  “Hey, Cissnei!”

“Back for more, huh?” she observed with a smile.  “New friend?”

“Name’s Cloud,” he said, reaching a hand out for her to shake.

“Ooh, you could learn a thing or two about manners from him, Fair,” Cissnei said. “Drink orders?”

“Water for me,” Cloud said, as Zack ordered some awful-sounding mixture of every soda on the menu.

“Coming right up,” Cissnei said, walking away.

Zack was checking something on his phone as he plugged it in, so Cloud took his back out to do the same.  A message in the group chat from Tifa.  _Cloud, you better be out having fun right now or I s2g I’m gonna suplex you into friendship._

 _Calm down, I met a few people_ , Cloud sent back.  _Eating lunch with one of them now._

Biggs and Wedge both responded within seconds.  _We’re gonna need those #receipts, StrifuWaifu.  Yeah, send proof._

Cloud sighed and looked up at Zack, who had his eyebrows raised in anticipation.  “What’s up?”

“Friends back home – they want proof that I’m actually…you know…out and about.”

“Aha,” Zack said, putting his hat back on.  “You fix your hair quick while I find someone to take out picture.”

 _Fix my hair?  This is just how it is..._ Cloud ran his fingers through it anyway and pulled up his camera as Zack led a different waitress to their table.

“You guys should stand up so I can get the full outfit,” she said, holding Cloud’s phone up and adjusting the angle.

Zack slung one arm over Cloud’s shoulders and put the other on his hip.  Cloud tried to match, but he couldn’t reach over Zack’s own arm, so he settled for wrapping it around the other boy’s waist (which, if he had to guess, was exactly what Zack wanted to happen).

The waitress took a few pictures and gave them the thumbs-up before handing Cloud his phone back.  “Thanks.”

“You guys look good together,” the waitress said.  “Have fun, Pokémon trainers!”

Zack laughed at that and straightened out his jacket, then watched as Cloud sat down.  “So…we look good together, huh?”

“I guess, yeah.”

“I bet we’d look even better together if we were _together_ together,” Zack said, sounding ridiculously confident, even though that might have been the worst attempt at a pick-up line Cloud had ever heard.

“In your dreams,” he said in response, although his tone (and the grin he couldn’t wipe off his face) made it clear he wasn’t totally opposed to the idea.

“Yeah, and in my dreams, my head is in the _clouds_ ,” Zack said.  _Okay, that’s a step over the line, pal._

Cloud schooled his expression into one of total un-amusement, and he relished in how horrified Zack looked.  He crossed his arms, waiting for Zack to say something else.

“So puns on your name are a no?”

 _Let me give it a shot…_ “It’s not that they’re a no,” Cloud said, maintaining his poker face, “it’s just that it’s not… _fair_.”

Zack held up a finger and clenched that fist a few times before settling on doing finger guns at Cloud.  “Oooh, you got me there,” he said, taking off his jacket and hanging over the back of his chair.  “I’m gonna run to the bathroom, ‘kay?”

Cloud went and opened the group chat, sending them the best of the three pictures the waitress took.

 _YOU’RE WEARING THE HOTPANTS I CAN’T BELIEVE IT,_ Tifa sent almost immediately.

 _They’re not “hotpants,”_ Cloud sent back, adding an annoyed emoji for good measure.  _They’re not even that short!_

 _Are you kidding me those are the most blatantly flirtatious pants you own,_ Biggs said.  _They’re what, two sizes too small?_

 _I ran out of clean laundry!_ he said, trying to defend himself.

 _Okay, I bought those pants for you, and I can 100% confirm they are hotpants,_ Tifa said.  _That boy’s got *no chance* against your fine booty._

Cloud felt a blush creeping across his cheeks and prayed to the gods that Zack would take a bit longer in the bathroom.  _He’s not /looking/ at it, you creeps._

That got him three near-simultaneous responses of _(_ _͡_ _°_ _͜ʖ_ _͡_ _°_ _)_.  Cloud groaned and put his head in his hands.  _I don’t know how to deal with this._

“Hey, you look a bit red, are you okay?” Zack asked, suddenly there again.  “Sunburned?  Overheating?”

“No…just friends back home, being embarrassing as hell,” Cloud admitted.

“Surely not as embarrassing as yours truly,” Zack said.  “Unrelated question, but do you mind going to a gym after this?”

Cloud shook his head, really grateful that Zack had changed the subject.  “A Pokémon gym or a real one?”

“Both, I think,” Zack said.  “My cousin called while I was in the bathroom, talking about ‘teenagers’ this and ‘blue chalk’ that and ‘they’re not even here to work out.’  He’s not exactly with the times.”

“Your cousin runs a gym?”

“Well, I had to get these guns _somewhere_ ,” Zack said, flexing his arms again.  “But yeah, Angeal’s really into fitness and coaching and all that.  It’s over by Little Banora, we can take a bus.”

“There are double deckers in this town, right?”

Zack’s smile grew even warmer.  “You’ve never been on one, have you?”

Cloud shook his head.  “Now, don’t go thinking this is, like, a _date_ thing—”

“Of course not,” Zack said, but the look in his eyes said pretty clearly that he wanted it to be.

“…Maybe later, though.”  _If the lovable-dork thing keeps going._

_\---------------------------------_

The rest of lunch was pretty uneventful.  Zack ordered pasta and Cloud ordered a sandwich.  They both caught whatever Pokémon wandered by…and Cloud’s friends kept encouraging him to take advantage of the mutual-romantic-interest thing.

Biggs mostly went on about how much of a _#specimen_ Zack was (pointing out the excellent ratio between his shoulders and his waist, so now Cloud couldn’t stop thinking about what he would look like shirtless, which was just _not helpful in this setting_ ), while Wedge helpfully pointed out how long it’d been since the last time Cloud had a boyfriend.

 _What’s holding you back?_ Tifa asked.

Cloud snuck a glance at Zack before replying.  _I mean…he’s really cute, and makes me laugh, and seems to have a good head on his shoulders…but I met him, like, an hour ago._

_“Seems to have a good head on his shoulders?” Who are you, my dad?!  You’re a teenager, Cloud!  You don’t need to know he’s absolutely perfect!  Just go for it!_

The longer the day went on, the more he decided she was right.  The bus ride…Cloud didn’t want to call it _romantic,_ but he let Zack hold his hand while they showed each other Pokémon memes.  Truly, the pinnacle of teenage romance.  He might also have caught a Jynx while they were stopped at an intersection.  The whole upper level of the bus celebrated.

Zack stood up when they heard someone start blasting the Pokémon theme down the street, but Cloud dragged him back down.  “We’re still moving!”

“No, that’s Angeal’s gym,” Zack said, craning his neck.  “Damn, there’s a lot of people there…”

“You think he wants us to get them to leave?”  _Slim chance.  The whole world’s playing this game._

Zack seemed to be on the same page, since he just laughed.  “Well, we can at least find out who’s there.  Go inside and tell him to stop freaking out.”

They got off at the next bus stop, and as the front of the gym actually came into view, Cloud’s jaw dropped (a little).  It wasn’t a group of kids blocking the door – these were grown adults, and they’d practically painted the sidewalk with the Team Mystic logo.

“Where’s Team Rocket, boy?” a guy in a red leather jacket asked, smirking.  _Who the hell wears red leather?  And in the summer, too?!_

“Does Angeal know you’re here, Gen?” Zack asked, hands on his hips.  “He called me and made it sound like he was being barricaded in or something.”

Genesis just shrugged.  “He doesn’t need to know.”

Zack groaned.  “Okay, but this is gonna hurt business if you guys don’t tone it down or something.”

“Talk to Sephiroth about that, he’s the one who’s all up in arms about claiming every gym in the city,” Genesis grumbled.  “I’m not even on Team Mystic…”

“Did someone say my name?” a man asked, turning around to face them.

Frankly speaking, Cloud was starstruck.  This guy had the most otherworldly beautiful face Cloud had ever seen (even if it didn’t quite compare to Zack’s), the ponytail that was pulled through his baseball cap was silver and went down to his waist, and his posture was just _intimidating_.

“Yeah, I did,” Zack said, poking him in the shoulder.  “Can you, like, go somewhere else?”

“I guess,” Sephiroth said, dragging his gaze from Zack to Cloud.  “What’s with him?”

All of the dozen or so people there turned to look at him, and he cleared his throat.  “Um…your hair…is impossible.”

“You’re one to talk,” Sephiroth said in response.

A tense moment passed, before the air was suddenly filled with shouts of “How much hair gel do you even _use_?!” and “You must spend more on hair dye than you do on rent!!” and before Cloud really registered where things were going, Zack was pulling him back by both arms and Genesis was doing the same to Sephiroth.

A door slammed and a _really buff_ guy who Cloud supposed must be Zack’s cousin glared at them, rubbing his temples.  “What the hell?”

“Oh, hi Angeal,” Sephiroth said, cool as ice.

“Just…what the hell?”

“Do you not recognize the song?” one of the girls in Seph’s posse asked.  “Pokémon?”

Angeal sighed.  “Of course I recognize it, but I’m so _tired_ …”

“Okay, we’ve claimed this one, let’s move out,” Genesis said under his breath, obviously trying not to draw attention to his presence.

“Let’s go!” Sephiroth said, gesturing for everyone to follow him.  “And you two,” he said, looking at him and Zack.  “I’ll be at the highest-level gym across the river at midnight.  See you there.”

“See us there?  What does he mean, see us there?” Cloud asked softly, after they’d all left.

“He’s always so fucking competitive,” Angeal said, closing his eyes.  “Ever since we were kids.”

“Every time there’s an opportunity for him to destroy competition, he’ll do it,” Zack said.  “We don’t _have_ to go…but I kind of want to, just to piss him off.”

“Pissing him off…yeah, that sounds like a plan.” Cloud said.  _He seems…well, he’s an asshole._

“Do what you want, but I wouldn’t advise it,” Angeal said, yawning.  “The ferries don’t run on weeknights, and I bet the bridge’ll be closed off because of, well, kids like you causing a ruckus.”

“Well, I can’t back down,” Zack said, doing a set of squats, right there on the sidewalk.  “I’m still dressed as Ash.”

“You, blond kid, what was your name again?” Angeal asked, ignoring his cousin’s antics.

“Cloud.”

“Whatever happens, don’t let Zack out of your sight tonight,” the older man said.  “He’s a trouble magnet and I don’t want him getting arrested for being an idiot.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa!” Zack protested.  “I’m not an idiot!”

Angeal’s expression didn’t change.  “Yes you are, puppy.  Now watch the floor for a few hours…I’m taking a nap.”

“I don’t wanna watch the floor.  I want more Pokémon,” Zack whined, and his Ash impression was so accurate that Cloud couldn’t help but laugh.

“Too bad.  No work, no rent,” Angeal said as he headed back inside.

Zack rubbed the back of his neck and turned back toward Cloud.  “Man, I wasn’t expecting this to happen.  Well…what are you gonna do?”

 _No point in going home._ “I mean, we could keep hanging out,” Cloud said.  “Unless that’s weird or something.”

“It’s pretty boring in there this time of day,” Zack said.  “There won’t be much to do.”

Cloud shrugged.  “Pokémon?  We could watch a movie?  Maybe not a Pokémon one, though…that’s just too much.”

“Okay, good idea,” Zack said, nodding.  “I’ll run and grab my laptop.”

 _Do they live here, too?  They must, if Angeal’s taking a nap somewhere._ Cloud took the opportunity to look around the gym.  Pretty standard stuff…a row of treadmills, some weight machines, a rack of resistance bands.  Motivational posters about dreams and honor on the walls.  _This isn’t that big of a building…I guess there’s not room for much else._

A loud thud from the back of the gym drew Cloud’s attention, and Zack opened the door, pushing a folded-up chair out in front of him.  “Carrying that and my laptop down two stories was a time, let me tell you.”

“You really didn’t have to get me a chair,” Cloud said.

Zack raised his eyebrows.  “Well, there’s only one chair behind the front desk.  So…you know…”

“Okay then,” Cloud said, taking the chair from Zack and setting it up next to the desk chair.  “What do you wanna watch?”

“Well,” Zack said, putting extra emphasis on the l, “I’m seriously in a _Princess Bride_ mood today, but I get that’s kind of an iffy movie for just hanging out, so…”

“ _Princess Bride?_   Never heard of it.”

Zack looked positively shocked at that statement.  “What?!  Never heard of it?!  Then it’s settled, then.  We’re watching that one.”

The opening section played, and Cloud made Zack pause the movie as soon as the prologue was over.  “Please don’t tell me Buttercup forgot all about Westley.”

“Just watch it!” Zack said, laughing.

“But!  She’s marrying that Humperdick guy!” Cloud protested, unwrapping one of the candy bars Zack had stashed in a drawer.  “That’s not even how royal marriages _work!_ ”

Zack didn’t respond, and Cloud looked over to see he had fallen the floor, shaking with silent laughter.  “You…you said…” he said, before falling to his back, “you said Humperdick…it’s Humper _dinck_.”

“I said…? …Oh.”  _Well, at least it made him laugh.  More points for me._

Zack folded his arms on the seat of the chair and looked up at him, still trying to recover from his laughter.  “Man…Cloud…you’re like, my new favorite person.”

He gave a genuine smile at the compliment, and Zack got that starstruck look in his eyes again.

It was another minute before Zack had calmed down enough to resume the movie, and Cloud was soon too into the plot to ask any more questions.  The kidnapping of the princess and her subsequent encounter with the eels was suspenseful as heck – until the kid interrupted and ruined the moment, anyway.

“Okay, Inigo is my favorite,” Cloud said as the swordsman exchanged banter with the man in black (who he was absolutely positive was Westley).

“He gets even better,” Zack promised.  “I swear, Inigo just steals this whole movie in a certain scene later on.”

When Westley inevitably reunited with Buttercup, it wasn’t anything like Cloud had expected.  “Why doesn’t she recognize him?  It’s so obvious!  The only thing that’s changed is how cynical he is!”

“I dunno, man,” Zack said as the ex-couple argued on screen. “There was a five-year timeskip.  What if you disappeared for five years, everyone moved on with their lives, and then you came back with a darker sense of style, acting like a totally different person?  Would you expect people to recognize you, just like that?”

Cloud thought on that for a moment.  “I guess you’ve got a point,” he admitted, just as Buttercup threw herself down the cliff.  “But you gotta agree _that_ was just stupid.”

“Love makes you crazy,” Zack said, shrugging.  “Okay, the next part’s pretty important for backstory and stuff.”

Westley’s general attitude toward life-or-death situations was refreshing, but his and Buttercup’s general clumsiness in the fire swamp was definitely not.  Then, naturally, their slowness got them caught.

“No, Buttercup, I don’t think that’s a great idea,” Cloud said as she traded for freedom for Westley’s life.  “He’s just gonna betray both of you.  Oh, shit, that’s the six-fingered man!”

“Someone was looking for you,” Westley said on-screen, before everything went black.

“Okay, I need Inigo to find that guy _now_ ,” Cloud said, leaning forward in his chair.

“Hold your chocobos, it’ll happen,” Zack said, and Cloud looked over to find him wearing a dopey grin that said, clear as day, _I’m already a little bit in love with you._

Cloud felt a blush creep over his cheeks (for what, the third time that day?) and turned back to the laptop screen, trying to tone down his enthusiasm about the plot.  That didn’t last very long, as it turned out that Humperdinck was having some antisocial scientist crony torture Westley.

“Is that machine erasing his memories?” Cloud asked, narrowing his eyes.  “Because, if it is, it better not be.”

“Weeelll…” Zack said, and Cloud cracked his knuckles in frustration.

“I’m just mad because he’s gonna eventually get busted out of there, right?  But,” he continued as the machine was set to fifty, “he’s not gonna have a damn clue who Buttercup is, and that’s just painful to think about.”

“He doesn’t forget Buttercup,” Zack said.  “I guess it’s going too far to have the main character forget his best friend _and_ love interest, since she’s kind of both.  No…he just forgets where he is and what year it is and stuff like that.”

“Oh,” Cloud said, feeling calmer despite the rather dire situation on-screen.  Fezzik and Inigo took Westley to some crotchety old dude (“he’s my favorite and my least favorite at the same time,” Zack admitted) who managed to bring Westley back to life after his wife pushed some of his buttons.

“If Westley can’t move, how is he gonna rescue Buttercup?” Cloud asked as they plotted outside the castle.  _Cause there’s no doubt about it, he’s gonna have to confront Prince Humper-dick._

“Oh my god, Cloud,” Zack said.  “It’s almost the climax of the movie.  Just watch, okay?”

His hands started to sweat as they broke into the castle, but his rising panic was interrupted when Zack started to laugh.

“I’m sorry,” he said through his giggling.  “This scene is great.”

“Mawwiage!  Mawwiage is what bwings us – togevah – today,” the priest said, and Cloud covered his eyes as he started to laugh.  _Oh my god, this explains so much.  So many things._

“I’ve been at a wedding where they did this,” he said once both he and Zack had calmed down a bit.  “I was so confused…like, ‘why is the guy mispronouncing everything?’  But it all makes sense now.”

“I would _die_ to be at a wedding where this happens,” Zack said, “minus the stuff that comes after.”

And the stuff that came after was _intense_.  “My name is Inigo Montoya.  You killed my father.  Prepare to die.”

“Get him, get him, get him,” Cloud chanted under his breath, and Zack was leaning almost as far forward in his chair as he was.

Inigo was stabbed and fell to the floor, Cloud’s heart along with it.  _Come on, get up, get up, get up!_   And he did!  “Good heavens.  Are you still trying to win?” the six-fingered man said, sounding completely unconcerned.

“I’m so ready for what’s about to happen,” Zack said.

Cloud gripped the edge of the desk.  “Me too.”

The count kept saying sadistic (and quite frankly, rude) things to Inigo, before he was caught off-guard by the swordsman’s determination to survive.

“My name is Inigo Montoya.  You killed my father.  Prepare to die.”  He repeated it, louder and louder, and the six-fingered man was on the defensive, moving back towards the wall.

“Oh man, here it comes,” Zack whispered, as Count Rugen was left wide open.

“I want my father back, you son of a bitch,” Inigo said, and that was that.

Cloud cheered – an actual, full-bodied cheer – and stood up from his chair.  “That was the best thing I’ve ever seen.”

“Sit back down, it’s not over yet,” Zack said, the dopey grin on his face again.  “Westley and Buttercup have to escape, remember?”

The scene with the two of them and Humperdinck, while very well-done, didn’t quite have the same impact as Inigo’s revenge.  Regardless, Cloud found himself feeling very happy as the characters all rode down the beach, and as the grandpa finally finished telling the story to the kid.

“Okay, that was great,” Cloud said.  “I’ll admit it, you have good taste in movies.”

“Hell yeah I do,” Zack said, as they were both distracted by a loud thud by the back door.

The knob turned and Angeal stumbled out, rubbing a spot on the top of his head.  “Okay, nap’s over,” he said, walking over to the desk and frowning.  “You were supposed to be working.”

“C’mon ‘Geal, there was nobody here,” Zack explained, gesturing out to the main floor to prove his point.  “Everyone’s out playing Pokémon.  What was I supposed to do?”

“Clean the machines, take inventory, get change from the bank,” Angeal said, numbering on his fingers.  “I could keep going.”

Zack opened the register, which was full of change.  He raised his eyebrows at his cousin, who just shook his head.

“Okay, that’s one out of three.  Go.  Inventory.  Now,” Angeal said sternly, pointing to the far corner of the room.  “And don’t try to schmooze Cloud into helping you.”

Cloud stood up and gathered the candy wrappers.  “It’s no trouble, I can—”

“No.  It’s his job, not yours,” Angeal said.  “Zack, you’re just lucky no one’s been here, or I’d have you do the bathrooms, too.”

Zack handed his phone to Cloud, looking dejected.  “Catch some Pokémon for me while I work, okay?”

Cloud nodded and hesitantly sat back down in his chair, looking at Angeal.

“You’re fine,” was all he said as he walked towards the front door.  “I’m gonna go around and ask about this Pokémon game…be back later.”

“’Ask about!’  More like ‘go play,’ am I right?” Zack shouted from the far side of the gym.  “See anything good?”

“Yeah…there’s a…Dratini around here, I think.”

“What!?  Where?!” Zack shouted, running back towards the desk.

“No,” Cloud said, moving both phones behind his back.  “Finish taking inventory, Mr. Fair.  Then Pokémon.”

Zack gave him the stink-eye and went back to work.

It was engaging work, managing two separate Pokémon trainers simultaneously.  Cloud focused more on the catching and evolving than anything else, and he managed to have a pretty respectable collection by the time Angeal returned.  He also took the opportunity to put himself in as a contact on Zack’s phone – his real name, he hated bothering with the silly nicknames most of his friends used.

“You done with inventory, slowpoke?” he asked, looking around the back to where Zack was.

“Just about.”

Angeal coughed.  “Seriously, it’s taken you this long?  It’s, like, five-thirty…”

“Wait, it’s seriously been that long?” Cloud asked, answering his own question by looking at the clock on his phone.  _Well I’ll be.  The whole afternoon just kind of…flew by._

Zack reappeared from wherever he was working and stretched, the sound of his joints cracking audible all the way from the front.  “I’m definitely hungry enough for five-thirty…” he said irritably.  “What’re we doing for dinner, ‘Geal?”

His cousin shrugged.  “I was gonna go out with some friends for drinks…you’re not coming.”

“But I can pass for overage!”

“We’re not going anywhere that doesn’t card,” Angeal said pointedly.  “I guess there’s leftovers in the fridge…I might’ve cooked something if it weren’t for that headache.”

 _I wonder if Mom would take care of dinner for us…_ “We could eat at my place,” Cloud offered.  “Probably.  My mom more or less begged me to invite someone over.”

Zack’s features lit up at the prospect of food, and his grin was…stupidly attractive.  Just like the rest of him.  Cloud grinned back and Zack full-on _winked_ at him.

Angeal looked between them and raised his eyebrows.  “Am I missing something here?  Zack, are you…you know…?”

“Can’t answer your question if you don’t ask it, dude,” Zack said, handing him the inventory sheet.  “But yes.”

“And you’re…cool with it?” Angeal asked, looking back towards Cloud.

“Um, yeah,” he answered.  “I wouldn’t still be here if I wasn’t.”

There was an awkward silence for a few moments as Zack deflated some under Angeal’s sharp gaze.  “Zack, go change,” he said abruptly.  “You are _not_ meeting Cloud’s mom dressed like that.”

“C’mon, it’s a perfectly fine outfit, I pull it off well!  Right, Cloud?” he asked, looking hopeful.

Cloud thought about what dinner might be like with Zack still in costume, and his nose wrinkled up on its own accord.  He shook his head lightly, and Angeal seemed pleased.

“Ugh, fine,” Zack said, moving upstairs.  “I’ll change.  Be back soon, Cloud!”

Angeal sighed and brushed his hair back with his fingers as soon as Zack was gone.  “Are you actually planning to date my cousin?”

The bluntness of the question caught Cloud off-guard, and he found himself at a loss for words.  _Well…am I?  I only met him today, but…it already feels like we’re good friends.  And he’s pretty amazing._   “I think so,” he said after a moment.

“Thanks for being honest,” Angeal said, seemingly pleased with the answer.  “The thing is…it’s been a long time since Zack has _really_ liked someone so quickly, and the last time it happened, he ended up getting hurt.”

 _I can’t even imagining someone wanting to leave him.  He seems like he’d be a great boyfriend, and wait, why am I still stalling this?_ “I’m not gonna do that,” Cloud said, and he meant it.  “If it turns out dating isn’t in the cards, then that’s that.  But I won’t draw it out.”

“Thanks.”

They stood in a semi-awkward silence until Zack returned, wearing a blue-and-white baseball tee and cutoff jeans, backpack in hand.  _Yep, that looks way better on him than cosplay._   “Is this acceptable, _Dad_?” he asked, looking pointedly at Angeal.

“It sure is, son,” he answered, his sarcastic tone causing Cloud to snort.

“Wait, what’s wrong with it?” Zack asked, holding his hands out.

“Nothing, you look good,” Cloud said, taking the opportunity to ruffle the other boy’s hair.  “Let’s go.”

“Later,” Angeal said, taking out his phone as they left.

The sun was getting low in the sky, and of course it shone right into Cloud’s eyes.  He closed them in pain and walked right into Zack when he felt his own hair get ruffled.

“If you wanted a hug, you could’ve just _asked_ ,” Zack said with a chuckle, rummaging through his bag until he found a pair of sunglasses.  “Need these?”

“Thanks,” Cloud said, sliding the shades behind his ears.  “Um…shit, I have no idea how to get to my apartment from here.”

“Well, you’ve got that handy-dandy phone with a GPS and everything,” Zack said.  “And you’ve still got mine, too.  Or you could just tell me the address and I can figure it out.”

Cloud took Zack’s phone out of his left pocket and handed it back, and he couldn’t help but notice the way their fingers brushed for a moment, and he kind of wanted to hold Zack’s hand again… _no, best keep that under control until after dinner.  Mom’s already gonna be weird enough_.  “The building we live is…hmm…712 Prima Vista Street.”

“Oh, I know where that is,” Zack said brightly.  “It’s not far from where Zidane and Vivi live.  Long walk, though.  Hey…you gave me your number.”

“Thought it might help later,” Cloud said, and left it at that.

Zack didn’t make any effort to keep the conversation going after that, too busy getting them on the route back to his place, so Cloud figured now would be as good a time as any to actually ask his mom.  Because he had forgotten to make sure it was okay.  Because he was too caught up in…other things.

 _You said it’d be okay if I brought a friend over for dinner, right?_ he texted, opening the group chat while he waited for an answer.

_Have you guys seen the Princess Bride?_

_Um…who hasn’t?_ Wedge said, sending his favorite shrugging emoji.

_Well…me, until today._

Tifa sent a row of exclamation points.  _Did you watch it with Zack?  Was it romantic?_

 _I mean, it’s not really the most romantic movie,_ Cloud said, _but Inigo was great._

_Are you still hanging out with him?_

_Yeah, I think we’re eating dinner at my place._

Biggs sent a string of ellipses.  _Wine and dine?_

 _S t o p,_ Cloud sent just as he got a notification from his mom, and Zack guided him through a left turn.

_That’s totally fine, honey.  I’ll get takeout if you make a salad.  Who’s the new friend?_

_His name is Zack, he’s pretty cool.  You’ll like him._

She didn’t respond, but there was another message in the group chat when he went back to it.  Tifa.  _How were the Pokémon?_

_We’ve both got some pretty high-powered Vaporeon.  I caught a Jynx earlier, he’s got a Hypno.  Honestly, I’m more casual about it than he is – but there’s this asshole who challenged us to a gym battle at midnight across the river, and Zack didn’t want to back down, and his cousin told me to keep an eye on him.  It’s complicated._

_…It /sounds/ complicated_ , Tifa sent back.  _I swear, trouble follows you like a shadow.  What kind of guy does that asshole think he is?  Like, Pokémon is intense, but it’s still just a game._

 _He’s got this ridiculous name and even more ridiculous hair,_ Cloud said.  _Like, more ridiculous than mine.  And he was covering the sidewalk in Team Mystic shit.  And wouldn’t move._

_Well, kick his butt for me, okay?  I’m gonna go – I work in the morning.  Night, Cloud._

_Night, Tifa._

“Whoa, Cloud, stop!” Zack said, and he looked up to see he was about to walk into a lamppost.

“Uh, thanks for looking out for me,” he said.  “I was a little distracted.”

“The good news is that we’re halfway there,” Zack said.  “The bad news…” he added, lacing their fingers together, “is that we missed half the walk to do this.”

Cloud looked down to hide the blush on his cheeks, curse his pale complexion.  He felt comfortably giddy, as strange as that was, and it was with someone else’s shout of “Beedrill!” that he realized, despite how cool he’d been trying to act about it all day, he had a full-blown crush on Zack Fair.  _Well, at least I know he likes me back.  It doesn’t usually work out like that._

He took a chance and leaned his weight into Zack when they reached the next intersection.  “I’m tired…”

“You still good for challenging Seph tonight?” Zack asked, letting go of Cloud’s hand to put that arm around his waist and… _oh, that feels good.  More of that, please._

“Yeah, I’ll be fine.  Second wind and all that.  Hey, do you know how to make a salad?”

Zack snorted.  “That came out of nowhere.  Yes?  I mean…okay, I don’t, but it can’t be that hard, can it?”

 _Do we even have lettuce at home?  Well, I guess we’ll find out soon._ “Hey, I recognize where we are now!”

“Awesome!  You’ll recognize everything else soon enough, too,” Zack said, unhooking his arm so Cloud could get at his keys.

Cloud took the lead from there, crossing to the other side of the street until he came to the shops that his apartment complex was situated above.  They climbed the two flights of stairs to his floor, and Cloud unlocked the door with a click.

“Puppy!” he called.

“What?” Zack asked, as the cat ran towards them from his mother’s bedroom, meowing.

Cloud scooped up the cat and looked at Zack, who was waiting for an explanation.  “Oh, the cat’s name is Pup.”

“Oh my god, are you serious?” Zack asked with a laugh.  “That’s great.”

He let Zack pet Pup for a minute until he started squirming (the cat, not Zack), and then dropped him and moved to the kitchen.  “Let’s see…we have a bag of lettuce.  I didn’t even know they sold lettuce in bags.”

“I see some carrots.  We could…I don’t know, chop them up.  Put some ranch on it and call it a day,” Zack offered, obviously out of his league.  _Yeah, I bet Angeal does all the cooking._

“Okay…um…I’ll get a bowl,” Cloud said, fishing a serving bowl out of one of the bottom cabinets.  _At least, I think it’s a serving bowl.  Mom might tell me it’s a mixing bowl or something but honestly, I can’t tell the difference._

Zack found the silverware drawer and took out a knife and the carrots.  “Where’s a cutting board?”

“Well…hmm…here,” Cloud said, finding it and blindly handing it to him.  “You’re doing the carrots?”

“Yeah, how hard can it be?” Zack asked, lining up the first of the carrots parallel to the long edge of the cutting board.  “Just a wimpy orange vegetable.”

“Okay, first of all, you have to wash off the carrots,” Cloud said, biting his lip to keep from grinning too much.  _Clueless._ “Didn’t anyone ever teach you basic cooking skills?”

“Angeal tried, once,” Zack mused, watching Cloud splash water on the front of his shirt.  “I, uh, almost set the kitchen on fire.”

“What?  How?”

“So it turns out you can’t put paper plates in the toaster oven,” Zack said sheepishly, and Cloud flicked water at him.  “Hey, what was that for?”

“Angeal was right, you _are_ an idiot,” Cloud said.  “That’s not even a lack of cooking skills, that’s a lack of common sense.  Knowing that…I’m gonna watch you cut the carrots.”

“Why?”

Cloud shook his head.  “So you don’t cut yourself or something!  I don’t want your blood on my hands.”

“Wow, no need to be so dramatic about it,” Zack said, picking up the knife.  “Like this?”

“Um, no,” Cloud said.  “See how close the blade is to your fingers?  One slip-up and you’re done.”

Zack nodded, mulling over the information.  “How do you know all this, anyway?”

“There was an accident when one of my friends and I tried making lunch for our parents…my mom was pretty gung-ho about teaching me the basics after that.”  _And it was all my fault…I’d let Tifa get too close to the stove…the burns took weeks to heal.  Her dad hated me for years afterwards, and it took a lot of tears on her part to even convince him to let us hang out…well, that’s the past._

“Well…to prevent any more _accidents_ …I think you should walk me through the motions of exactly what to do,” Zack said.

Cloud sighed and moved behind Zack, placing his hands on top of his taller friend’s.  “Something is telling me you’re not gonna remember much of what I say.”

“Excuse you, I—”

The sound of the doorknob turning interrupted him, and Cloud quickly withdrew his hands and stepped back.  Best not let his mother ask too many questions right away.

“Back from work!” a female voice called, and Cloud’s mother walked into the kitchen, a bag of takeout in her hands.

“Hi!  Mrs. Strife.  Mama Strife.  Miss - Cloud’s mom,” Zack said, holding out his arm.

“Claudia’s fine,” she said, shaking his arm.  She gave Cloud a look that very clearly said, _nice manners, this one._ “And you’re Zack?”

“Yes, ma’am,” he said.  “I gotta ask…why do you and your son style your hair the same way?”

Cloud and his mom both laughed at that.  “It’s just a Strife thing,” Mom said, pulling one of the spikes down and letting it bounce back up to prove a point.  “Cloud did used to wear a ponytail, though…he chopped it off when people started saying we looked _too_ similar.”

Zack’s stomach growled loudly, and the three of them stood in silence for a moment.  “So, what’s for dinner?” he asked, and Cloud could tell his friend and his mom would get along just fine.

“Cloud, can you grab a pan?  The noodles got cold on the way here…” Mom asked, taking a box out of the bag.

He got everything going while Mom shook her head at their “pitiful attempt at a salad” and took over for Zack, who ended up setting the table (and playing with the cat, who admittedly had gotten pretty bored without Cloud around).

“So, Zack,” Mom said a few minutes later, after they’d all sat down.  “How’d you meet Cloud?”

“Well, it’s more like he ran into me,” Zack answered, pondering a spoonful of noodles.

Cloud took the time to explain what happened in reasonable detail, from the conversation with Tifa and the others to the meeting with Vivi to the moment when Zidane left and Cloud picked Zack out from among the crowd.  He left out the more date-y parts, though.  Even if it was pointless…Claudia Strife always knew.

Sure enough, it was only another minute of conversation before she figured it out.  “And you paid for my son’s lunch?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“And you took him back to your place?”

“Well, my cousin’s place, but yes.”

“And you want to hang out with him more after dinner?”

“If I can, yes.”

“And then you want to date him?”

Zack winked at Cloud, and he knew they’d given up the ghost.  “I’d be lying if I said I didn’t, ma’am.”

“Checkmate,” she said, and Cloud could barely keep his groan internal.  Oh, a storm was coming.  “Zack, tell me, what are your grades like?”

“They could be better,” he admitted, “but I do my best.  My cousin makes sure I study.”

Mom nodded.  “And what do you do in your free time then, besides study?”

“Uh…well…my cousin owns a gym on the north side of town, and I work there,” Zack said.  “Receptionist stuff.  He’s training me in on teaching some of the group classes, and I really enjoy that.”

The interrogation went on for half an hour, and by the end of it Cloud could tell Zack hadn’t been expecting such a thorough examination of his life.  _Well, I tried to warn him._ But his mom seemed to like Zack, so…it was alright.

“Alright boys, I’m gonna go relax, do you mind cleaning up in here?” she asked, and they both responded with no, it was perfectly fine and thank you for the takeout.

 

\---------------------------------

 

“Your mom is…vibrant,” Zack concluded as they cleaned up, and Cloud had to laugh.  That was how most people ended up describing her.

“I’ll do the dishes if you hand them to me.”

It wasn’t hard, as they had eaten on paper plates, and the silverware could all go in the dishwasher.  In a matter of minutes, all that was left was the pan they’d used to heat up the noodles.

“Hey, Zack, give me the pan over there,” Cloud said, gesturing with his chin since his hands were covered in dishwater.

“Hold on, hold on,” he said, holding it up like a shield.  “Flick water at me.”

“What?”

“Just do it.”

Cloud obliged, and Zack unsurprisingly blocked the spray with the pan.  “What was the point of that?”

“Hey, I know!  I’ll use my frying pan…as a drying pan!” Zack said, sounding utterly pleased with himself.  “Ha, get it?”

He gave Zack the satisfaction of hearing a single chuckle.  “Nice quote,” he said.  “Uh…are we still meeting Sephiroth later?”

“I’m down if you’re down,” Zack said.  “Is your mom gonna be okay with it?”

 _We’ve never even talked about if I have a curfew or not…I don’t go out that much anyway._ “Well…it’s easier to ask for forgiveness than ask for permission,” he said under his breath.

The couple of hours between them and midnight went by in a blur – Zack asked if the Strifes had Mario Kart (they did), and Cloud soundly kicked his ass at Rainbow Road.  Twelve times.  At eleven, Zack took both their phones and got to checking their Pokémon – _it’s not that I don’t trust you, Cloud, but I know how Sephiroth is gonna have his gyms set up.  So I wanna give us the best chance we have to take him down._

“You ready to go?” Zack asked under his breath, once the job was finished.

“Yeah, I guess.”

Zack grinned.  “Okay, we’re off.”

The streets weren’t nearly as full as they were that afternoon, but the fact that there were any people out at all surprised Cloud.  “There wouldn’t be any sound in Nibelheim but crickets right about now.”

“Yeah, I love how many people there are here,” Zack said.  “I mean, there are definitely sketchy folks, and people who you probably don’t wanna cross paths with, but the amount of life…it makes me feel more alive, you know?”

Cloud was wired a bit differently in that regard, but it didn’t mean he couldn’t appreciate how much Zack loved the world he lived in.  _Don’t ever lose that._   “So how’re we gonna get to wherever Sephiroth went?”

“Well, the footbridge I usually cross is a bit south,” Zack said.  “We’ll cross, and then…whatever the highest-level gym is nearby is where he’ll be.”

The closer they got to the bridge, the more nervous Cloud felt.  _What the hell am I doing?  I snuck out, I’m with a guy I met twelve hours ago, we’re going to possibly trespass—_

“Hey, you okay?” The caring note in his voice grounded him a little bit.

Cloud closed his eyes and took a deep breath, letting the wind coming off the river blow his bangs to the side.  “I’m just…having second thoughts.”

“You don’t have to do this, Cloud.  Seriously...I don’t think anyone over there is gonna give a shit, and I’m, well…you know.”

“What?”

“All I’m saying is that you don’t need to impress me,” Zack said, and it was hard to see his expression in the dim light, but his words made Cloud’s heart skip a beat.

He reached out to flick a hair away from Zack’s eyes.  “I’m going.”

Zack looked past Cloud’s shoulder and furrowed his brows.  “Uh…I think the bridge might be closed?  You wait here, I’ll go check.”

He bounded off towards the stone arch that crossed the river, and Cloud felt colder without standing next to him.  _I wouldn’t have done this if it weren’t for him.  I would have gone straight home if he didn’t take me out to lunch…I’m so comfortable around him…just being around Zack makes me better…God, I’m in deep._

It took him a moment to register the wild gesturing that was coming from under the bridge.  Long legs and spiky hair…yep, that was Zack.  Cloud made his way over and suddenly found a slippery bag being shoved at him.

“Put your clothes and stuff in there,” Zack said, pulling his t-shirt over his head and _God, why did I come here, he wants to swim across the river, isn’t that something only drunk people do?_

Cloud stood there, half-frozen, and watched as Zack stripped all the way down to his boxers.  It was definitely a…pleasant sight, but he couldn’t help but be distracted by the fact he was planning to swim across a city river in the middle of the night.  To battle Pokémon.

“Are you gonna get ready, or do you wanna be a soggy mess when we get to the other side?  That bag’s waterproof,” Zack said, rolling his shoulders.  _His wonderful shoulders._

“I’m gonna – I’m gonna do it, yeah,” Cloud said, throwing caution to the wind and pulling his own shirt over his head.  The pants were a bit of a problem, being as tight as they were, but they were off soon enough.  And his sandals, and his phone, all in the bag.

“Wow,” Zack said, breathless.  “You’re…wow.”

“Wow yourself,” Cloud said, daring a wink, and Zack mock-fainted.

“Seriously, do you wanna call this Pokémon thing off and just make out or something?” Zack asked.  “Because yeah, I’d totally be down for that.”

“Maybe _after_ we kick Sephiroth’s ass,” Cloud said, deciding that he wanted to make good on that suggestion.

 

\--------------------------------- 

 

It felt like bad luck that the gym was an old church.

Shivering in the cool night air, Zack followed the map all the way to a level six gym three blocks in.  Cloud hadn’t been on this side of town at all – the buildings were all older and less well-kept than on the east side, and the gardens on the sidewalks were clean but drab.  _I imagine things don’t grow too well here._

They knew they’d found the place when they heard bickering.  Cloud ran behind the nearest corner and Zack quickly followed.  He just hoped the water trails didn’t give them away too soon.

“Why’d you drag my ass out here, anyway?  Unlike some people, I actually have to _work_ for a living, and clocking in at eight sounds worse and worse every minute,” came a man’s voice, quiet despite the intensity of his words.

“You’re my posse.  Just call in sick or something, I’ll have my father take care of it.”  Definitely Sephiroth.

“Your father’s not as much of a bigwig as you seem to think he is,” said a third voice…

 _Angeal,_ Zack mouthed at him, hair dripping wet from their swim across town.  Cloud nodded.

“I don’t think your cousin’s gonna show up anyway,” the first man, probably Genesis said.  “He’s too busy romancing that blond kid, the one with the weird hair.”

“Think again!” Zack said, jumping out from behind the corner.  Cloud took a more modest approach, stepping out and waving at the trio, as well as the half-dozen others standing around.

“Oh, you brought your new boyfriend,” Genesis said, flipping his annoyingly shiny hair.

“I’m not his boyfriend,” Cloud replied, the response automatic.

“…Yet,” he and Zack said in unison.

“I don’t care.  Luxiere, play the track,” Sephiroth said, hiding his eyes behind his voluminous bangs.

Cloud didn’t know what he was expecting.  Rather than the opening crescendo of an RPG battle theme, the opening riff of some fifteen-year-old pop song came through a boombox perched on Luxiere’s shoulder.  _Is this for real?  Are these people for real?_

“Is that…Avril Lavigne?” Zack asked, incredulous.  “What the hell?”

“Life was easier in 2002,” Genesis said wistfully.  “Oh, how things have changed.”

“How old were you then, five?” Cloud asked, daring to shoulder his way into the conversation.

“My statement still holds.”

Sephiroth groaned.  “Luxiere, that’s not the track we discussed.”

The guy with the boombox shrugged.  “My sister must’ve changed the CD.”

“Why does your sister listen to early-2000s pop music?” Sephiroth asked.  “Whatever, it doesn’t matter.”

“Take a look at me and you’ll see I’m for real,” Genesis muttered, not low enough to escape everyone’s ears.  “I feel what only I can – oh, I’m sorry, am I bothering someone?”

“Yeah, me,” Sephiroth said, turning off the music.  “Okay, so I have the most powerful Pokémon I’ve found today protecting this gym…let’s see if you can claim it, Zack.”

“I can’t, I’m on Team Mystic too,” Zack said, and a long moment passed where everyone was shocked silent.  “I’m kidding, I’m kidding!  I’m on Valor, _duh_.  Okay, let me get my squad ready.”

“Your team?” Sephiroth asked.  “The word you’re looking for is ‘team.’”

“Nah, I meant squad,” Zack said, and he winked at Cloud when Sephiroth (at this point rather predictably) groaned again.

Well, the entire battle was taking place on a tiny phone screen, and Cloud wasn’t interest in competing with everyone else for the real estate.  So he leaned up against the church wall and watched everyone’s reactions instead.

Genesis, trying to act disinterested but obviously invested in the outcome of the battle.  He stood on Zack’s left and alternated between looking at the action and checking the area.

Sephiroth hadn’t bothered to move during the transition, and he seemed tremendously confident in his gym’s security.  Cloud had looked through what Pokémon were guarding his gym, and the two sets should have been evenly matched.  _Well, he doesn’t seem like the type to admit insecurities anyway._

Angeal took a phone call after a few minutes and left, heading back to his car and _there goes out ride out of here…I guess we’ll be swimming again._

Zack gave it all he got, tapping and swiping and refusing to respond to anyone’s words, discouraging or otherwise.  By Cloud’s time, it took about twenty minutes for him to use up all his Revives and all his Potions, and the look on his face as he finally closed the game didn’t bode well.

“It’s up to you, Cloud,” Zack said, patting him on the shoulder.  “I got it down to a level two gym, so defeat the last two and we’re all set.”

“You’ll never beat me,” Sephiroth said, flexing his arm muscles for no reason.

“We’ll see about that,” Cloud said, as he opened the game and… “Wait, are you kidding me?”  _Server issues._

Sephiroth looked at the problem and laughed.  “I guess I was right, then,” he said.  “Too bad…it looks like I still win after all.”

Cloud fought the very strong urge to punch the guy in the face and grounded himself.  _It’s just a game.  You didn’t really want to be here anyway.  Now you can go home, maybe kiss Zack goodbye…_

“Let’s head out, posse,” Sephiroth said, swinging his own backpack over his shoulder.  “Time’s wasting.”

“Who said you could leave in the middle of this?” Zack asked, irritated.  “That’s not very sportsmanlike.”

“Hmm…how do I best put this?” Genesis asked.  “We got a tip that the police were gonna bust us up if we vandalized anything else, and that someone told them we’d be here right about now.”

The church parking lot became ten times brighter in the blink of an eye.  “Yeah, and _we_ got a tip that you got a tip about our tip, so we’re here early,” said a very satisfied-sounding cop.

“Alright, here we go,” a second voice muttered.

The cops aimed their flashlights at one of their own, a man with a red ponytail.  “Alright, listen up!  We’re the Pokécops and we’re gonna need you to Poké _stop_.”

 _Oh my god, please don’t arrest us, I’m already in hot enough water as it is_ , Cloud thought, panicking.  Running from them wasn’t gonna end well for anybody, and Zack didn’t seem to have any fear of trouble.

Genesis cleared his throat.  “You don’t look like a _real_ cop,” he said.  “Your shirt’s unbuttoned, your hair’s a mess—”

“Rude,” the cop said, holding his hands to his heart.

“Look, I’m sorry about him,” Zack said.  “He’s just an asshole and says stuff like that.”

“That’s not what I meant,” the cop said.  “Rude, tell ‘em.”

They moved the flashlights again to shine on the second cop’s face, a bald man wearing sunglasses.  “Go home,” he said simply.

“Sunglasses at night?” Zack asked.  “Really?”

“It’s part of the aesthetic, son,” Rude said.  “Reno, tell ‘em.”

“We’re not gonna write any of you up or anything,” Reno said.  “This new game is a force of nature that we don’t know how to reckon with yet.  But this particular church doesn’t allow nighttime visitors, so we need all of you to leave.  Like, now.”

Everyone but Zack and Cloud dispersed, and the two of them were left standing awkwardly with the cops.  “What, do y’all need a ride or something?” Reno asked, hands on his hips.

“Please?” Cloud asked.  “I live across the river.”

“…Ugh, really?  How’d you even get over here in the first place…?  Whatever, we’ll get you home.”

 

\---------------------------------

 

Officer Reno (who did not take kindly to being called “Officer Jenny” because of the ponytail) dropped them both off two blocks from Cloud’s apartment – a blessing if there ever was one.

“I’m thinking it isn’t a good idea for me to be there when your mom finds out,” Zack said, hands in his pockets.  “So…I’m gonna head home.”

“Text me when you get back, okay?”

Zack nodded and stood for another few seconds, struggling with what to say.  “Look, I know we just met today and that I’ve been laying on thick, but I want you to know…I really like you.  Platonically, romantically, whatever you want—”

“You talk too much,” Cloud said, and he surprised even himself by going in for the kiss.

It was short and sweet, like their time together so far, and it ended all too soon.  But there’d be more where that was coming from.


End file.
